FROM 1886 TO 1899, 53 



brown velvet. Another innovation was a trap for two guineas 

 a week, which took the hounds to the meet and back, accom- 

 panied by the Master and whips. This, though much abused by 

 the Chronicle, was a good thing on the whole, especially as it 

 enabled Lock to come beagling regularly, which he might not 

 otherwise have been able to do. 



A. M. Grenfell, now the most successful Master of this 

 period, has sent me this letter : 



*' Campbell (E. G. Campbell, Master 1891) died of fever 

 during the South African War. Ward's regime was chiefly 

 remarkable for the purchase of the hound van. It was during 

 a hunt when Ward was Master that I swam the lake at Ditton. 

 The hare had crossed to the island and the hounds wouldn't 

 cross. So I very stupidly gave them a lead, and got a bad go of 

 ' flu,' in spite of being dried in the kitchen by the Duchess of 

 Buccleuch— aged about 90. Reggie Ward, my whip, died, but 

 Bobbie and his brother (Sir John) are still alive. They succeeded 

 each other as Masters." 



Grenfell's successor, W. R. O. Kynaston, has also written 

 to me. He says : 



" There was one day I remember well, you will probably find 

 all about it in the Field, hounds changed once or twice, ran 

 straight and right away from us. I sent ' the field ' back in 

 time for lock-up and went on with the whips after them. We 

 got to hounds eventually when it was pretty dark ; there was no 

 sight of the van, and being near Richings Park, Mr. Meeking's, 

 went in there ; Hume Meeking was whipping in that day. Had 

 our dinner there, and took hounds back to Windsor in the 

 guard's van from Langley station, getting to Windsor station 

 about 9 p.m. Attended the Head Master next morning, 

 explained the hounds changed hares and went too fast to be 

 stopped, was told I was responsible, and if we couldn't stop the 

 hounds must have smaller ones ! Offered to be swished, but had 

 all ' bills ' stopped for the rest of the Half, instead, much to my 

 disgust. Hope you will have a good season ; best of luck to the 

 Hunt." 



Here is a letter from Sir Edward Davson, third whip m 1894, 

 which contains two anecdotes of beagling in the nineties : 



" I do not know if you are dealing with the question of 

 costume w^orn, but, when I first ran with the hounds, I think that 

 the only distinction between the Master and whips and the field 

 was that the former wore the existing beagle coat, otherwise 

 wearing ordinary knickerbockers and colour caps. I think that 

 white knickerbockers and white stocks were introduced about 



